Fried chicken with collard greens combination that won 'Chopped'

By FOX 26 Houston staff
Published  March 23, 2016 4:28pm CDT
FOX 26 Houston
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HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Chef Shannen Tune is a recent winner on the television cooking competition program "Chopped" on Food Network.He is the only Houston chef, to date, who has won this title. During a visit to FOX 26 Morning News, he shows food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone how to make his show-winning dish -- fried chicken with collard greens.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Chef Shannen Tune, Craft Burger Food Truck

Ingredients

  • 4 airline chicken breasts
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2TBSP cracked black pepper
  • 2TBSP kosher salt
  • 1TBSP garlic salt
  • 1TBSP granulated onion powder
  • 4TBSP hot sauce
  • 2 ea. garlic cloves
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 6 cups vegetable oil

Brine ingredients

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 each lemon, lime, and orange cut in half
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig sage

Directions

For brine

  1. Bring water to boil. Add all ingredients. Boil for 5 minutes then allow to cool.
  2. Add chicken once brine is cool and brine for 6 hours. Wash brine off chicken before cooking.

For fried chicken

  1. To set up a breading station you will need three shallow pans or pie plates. You will place these three items, one in each pan, to coat the chicken before frying.  In first pan/plate add 1/2 cup of flour to coat chicken.
  2. Next, whisk eggs, then add to buttermilk and hot sauce, mix all together. Put mixture in second pan/plate.
  3. Finally in the third pan, season the remaining flour with all the spices. Make sure to taste the flour for seasoning.
  4. Coat each piece of chicken in each pan, coating the chicken fully. First in the plain flour, then in the wet mixture, then in the seasoned flour. Make sure to use one hand for all the dry steps and another for the wet step.
  5. To fry the chicken bring oil up to 325 degrees in a cast iron pan or a heavy pot. Add smashed garlic cloves and thyme to oil. Fry chicken for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Braised Collard Greens

Ingredients

  • 4 bunches of cleaned and chopped collard greens
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 6 cups water or chicken stock
  • 2 smoked turkey necks
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In heavy pot, sweat onions, turkey necks and garlic.
  2. Then add scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, vinegar, syrup, water or stock and greens. 
  3. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.